Peranema trichophorum (Ehrenberg, 1830) Stein, 1878

Lee, Won Je & Patterson, David J., 2000, Heterotrophic flagellates (Protista) from marine sediments of Botany Bay, Australia, Journal of Natural History 34, pp. 483-562 : 516

Peranema trichophorum (Ehrenberg, 1830) Stein, 1878

(fi gures 12d, 13i, 15a, b)

Description. Cell metabolic, 35-48 Mm long. With longitudinal pellicular striations around the cell. The anterior end of the cell is slightly pointed and the posterior end is truncated, rounded, indented or pointed. This species is slightly bent and the fl agellar pocket is also bent to the right. The fl agellar pocket including the fl agellar canal is up to 40% the length of the cell. The anterior fl agellum is as long as the cell, is thick and is directed forward when the cell is moving. The posterior fl agellum may be hard to observe, is thin, and tightly adpressed to cell surface, lying in a fi ne longitudinal groove. The ingestion organelle with two rods is weakly developed and the nucleus is below the centre of the cell. Cell glides in contact with the substratum. Relatively common. Description based on observations of fi ve cells.

Remarks. This species has been widely reported from around the world in freshwater sites with lengths from 22 to 81 Mm ( Stein, 1878; Playfair, 1921; Skuja, 1939, 1948, 1956; Chen, 1950; Huber-Pestalozzi, 1955; Schroeckh and Patterson, unpubl.), and in marine sites in tropical Australia and Danish Wadden Sea with lengths from 35 to 60 Mm ( Larsen, 1987; Larsen and Patterson, 1990; Ekebom et al., 1996). Although cell length varies from 42 to 65 Mm with environmental conditions ( Chen, 1950), the range suggests that more than one species has been described under this name.

Our observations agree with the descriptions given by previous authors from marine sites. This species is similar to P. dolichonema Larsen and Patterson, 1990 , in shape, size and in having a long recurrent fl agellum which lies in the ventral groove, but P. dolichonema can be distinguished because the distal part of the recurrent fl agellum trails behind the cell ( Larsen and Patterson, 1990). Other species of Peranema which have a long posterior fl agellum which lies in a groove are P. dolichonema , P. inēxum , P. pleururum and P. trichophorum . This species is very similar to P. inēxum Skuja, 1939 and P. pleururum Skuja, 1948 (see Huber- Pestalozzi, 1955) which were reported from freshwater sites. Previously reported cell lengths of P. trichophorum embrace the length of P. inēxum (30-41 Mm) but P. pleururum (62- 75 Mm) is larger than P. trichophorum . Further study is required to establish the identities of these species. Peranema trichophorum differs from Jenningsia fusiforme ( Larsen, 1987) Lee et al., 1999 and J. macrostoma (Ekebom et al.) Lee et al., 1999 because the species of Jenningsia lack a recurrent fl agellum.